[Itaewon Disaster] Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters "Up to 15 million won funeral expenses support for the deceased... Medical expenses covered for the injured"

Joint Memorial Altars Installed Today (31st) in 17 Cities and Provinces Nationwide
Administrative and Public Institutions Urged to Refrain from Events or Gatherings

On the 31st, citizens are waiting to pay their respects at the joint memorial altar for the victims of the Itaewon incident, set up at Noksapyeong Square in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The government will provide up to 15 million KRW for funeral expenses for the victims of the Itaewon crowd crush disaster and will prioritize covering the actual medical expenses of the injured through health insurance funds.

On the 31st, Kim Seong-ho, the Chief Coordinator of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) 1st Headquarters (Director of the Disaster and Safety Management Headquarters), held a CDSCH briefing regarding the Itaewon incident and announced support measures for the bereaved families.

First, the government plans to pay up to 15 million KRW for funeral expenses and cover transportation costs. One-on-one matching between bereaved families and dedicated local government officials has been completed, and officials have been dispatched to 31 funeral homes nationwide to support smooth funeral arrangements. Additionally, the actual medical expenses of the injured will be initially covered by health insurance funds, and severely injured individuals will be closely managed through one-on-one matching with dedicated officials.

The joint memorial altar will be set up in 17 cities and provinces nationwide by the day. Chief Coordinator Kim stated, "It will be open to mourners until November 5," and explained, "For bereaved families and the injured, relief funds have been provided along with reductions or deferrals of taxes, communication fees, and other charges."

Furthermore, the government has designated this week until the 5th as a national mourning period and requested that administrative and public institutions refrain from holding events or gatherings. All government offices and overseas diplomatic missions will fly flags at half-mast, and public officials are to wear mourning ribbons.

Chief Coordinator Kim urged, "We ask for restraint in sharing accident videos or indiscriminate dissemination of personal information that is inconsistent with the mourning atmosphere, as it damages the honor of the deceased and leads to additional harm."

Meanwhile, the CDSCH has confirmed 154 deaths so far, with the identities of 153 victims verified. The number of injured is 149, including 33 severely injured. Among them, 26 deceased and 15 injured are foreigners.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.